


Liking Him

by TVgirll1971



Series: Innermost Thoughts [3]
Category: Whiskey Cavalier (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:15:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24060445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVgirll1971/pseuds/TVgirll1971
Summary: As she waits in a hospital in Prague, after Ollerman's brutal attack, Susan ruminates on her feelings for Ray
Relationships: Ray Prince/Susan Sampson
Series: Innermost Thoughts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2182494
Kudos: 3





	Liking Him

She couldn’t believe how much she liked him. She didn’t expect to. That first moment they met on the telephone, she thought she had him pegged. He was a liar. She could tell from the sound of his voice. He knew she was Will’s friend from New York. He knew she was FBI. If Will was on a mission, there was no reason for her not to know, but he lied and claimed that he had no idea where Will was. The fact that she was able to recognize it so quickly proved that not only was he a liar, he was a terrible one that.

What he did to Will seemed to be proof of that. Who sleeps with his best friend’s girl for seven months? A selfish jerk, that’s who. If she knew how devastated Will was over losing Gigi, there is no way Ray didn’t know. But apparently, he placed more value on his own libido than his supposedly best friend’s happiness. So, not only was he a liar; he was a selfish liar. 

It didn’t take long to realize that she may have been wrong. It started when she was left behind while the rest of the team went on that mission to France. It bugged her a lot more than it should’ve. It was just that she was so excited when Will asked her to join the team. Will knew how much she loved undercover work, how she loved doing things beyond profiling. So he puts her on a team, then leaves her behind so she can profile. Suddenly, she felt like a kid again whose sisters didn’t want her around. So, when Will snapped at her, she got off comms and pouted. Was it unprofessional? Yes, but at the time she was too upset to care. Then Ray came in looking for her and ended up giving her a pretty great pep talk. It was simple—she had no reason to feel sorry for herself. He was right—the team loved her. She just needed to be reminded of that. 

After that, she convinced Will to let Ray help out on missions. The whole point was for him to act as support liaison. Why not take advantage of it? Besides, she was there when he called the FBI Cybercrime office and had them plant that fake internet story.. He had this air of—well, it definitely wasn’t authority but she could tell he was good with people. Maybe not in the way her ex-husband was but she could tell he was a good liaison. She’d also begun to see that maybe he wasn’t the jerk she made him out to be.

That feeling seemed born out during the London mission. The guy she pegged as totally selfish was pranking Jai! She knew it the second Ray told Jai he didn’t have the highest IQ but she went along with it because it was fun! The man had a sense of humor! Granted, a goofy one but it was nice being around someone fun like that. Then when he admitted that he didn’t have many friends and was lonely? Then she realized she definitely had him wrong. He wasn’t this totally selfish guy out for himself. He was a nice guy who, despite liking people, was lonely. As time went on, she started to see who he really was. He was sweet, charming, funny. Everything her ex wasn’t. Okay, that wasn’t exactly fair. Ben was a nice guy. He just didn’t seem as into people as Ray.

That’s why the whole Gigi thing didn’t make any sense. Why would he betray his best friend like that? For seven months? That’s when she started feeling guilty. Okay, Ray might be a nice guy but that didn’t excuse what he did. He hurt Will—her best friend! And was she betraying Will by being nice to Ray? That’s where her mind was during SHEP. Will hadn’t forgiven Ray and with good reason. What Ray did was unforgiveable so what kind of friend was she thinking that he’s a nice guy? He didn’t deserve a SHEP present.

Then he saved her life. She remembered him walking into that warehouse where she was held hostage. She couldn’t figure out what the heck he was doing. “Was he a part of this? No, he can’t be. He’s not the criminal type. What’s he doing? Does he even have a plan?” Well, for someone with no plan, he (with Jai’s help) pulled off an amazing rescue. After that, she didn’t feel so guilty about thinking he was a nice guy. He was. Not only that but he was a fantastic agent! 

Things intensified after Emma died. Susan felt so bad for Will. The way he reacted to the news. It was like he was in shock. Will didn’t deserve that. He was such a great guy and he felt things so deeply—it just broke her heart. She just sat in silence while Ray drove her home. Not being totally clueless, he asked if she was okay. She admitted she wasn’t and that’s when she invited him in for a drink. It was like she told him, she didn’t want to be alone. Inside, she started tearing up and Ray did what he did best—he comforted her. He pulled her into a hug and assured her that it’d be okay. Will would be okay. He was so sweet and gentle and there for her. Just as he’d been when she was upset during the France mission, just like when she needed someone to talk to in Spain. Every time she was at her most vulnerable, he was there—listening and making her feel better. Suddenly, she looked up at him, into those beautiful blue eyes. For a moment, she was mesmerized. He must have felt it too because he suddenly stated that he should go. That’s when it clicked—she needed him. “Don’t go.” She said as she reached up to kiss him, one hand on his chest, the other around his neck “Please stay.” Then they kissed. He could’ve taken advantage of her vulnerability—early in their acquaintance she would’ve predicted that. But he didn’t. He asked if she was sure about this. After all, it’d been a rough night. He offered to leave if she wanted. She responded by pulling him into another kiss, this one more smoldering than the first. 

The next morning, she told him that this couldn’t happen again. Will was her best friend, she couldn’t hurt him like that. And she did mean that. However, she just couldn’t stop thinking about Ray. Yes, it was basically the best sex she ever had hut it was more than that. In his arms, not only did she feel safe but this was this other feeling--pure, utter contentment. She needed that feeling again so she called Ray again, and again, and again. 

A part of her knew this wasn’t right—she was betraying Will. But being in Ray’s arms just felt so right. She couldn’t let go of that feeling. She kept telling Ray “This is the last time.” and every time, in her head, she did mean it. However, her heart wasn’t quite getting the message. She thought almost getting caught by Will in Berlin would’ve been a deterrent. Frankie figuring it out definitely should’ve been. However, there was this pull—a part of her needed Ray no matter how much she tried to deny it.  
As the weeks went on, she found herself thinking about him more and more. His beautiful eyes, his smile, those broad shoulders, the way he walked into a room saying “Hey, party people!” She thought about how goofy he was, how brave, how sweet. How he thoroughly enjoyed being around people. She liked being around him so much. But she told herself that was it. She didn’t actually like *him*. She couldn’t. After all, she didn’t usually go for men like him. Her type was more conventional, more serious. She told herself that Ray was someone fun who she really, really liked spending time with. 

So, she told herself it was just sex. Ray saw through her, but she assured him she did not *like* him. Then Jai caught them kissing and insisted Will had to know. In her head, she knew he was right, but she didn’t know how Will would react. Her thought was why muddy the waters. After all, Ray was just a fling—he’d get out of her system and Will would never have to know. Of course, Fate, in the form of Alex Ollerman, had other plans. In a diabolical move, he injected nanoparticles into Ray as a means to get leverage over Will and the team. Susan knew it wouldn’t matter. They were the best team out there and they’d defeat Ollerman. Ray would absolutely be okay.

It was in Prague where Susan decided she had to tell Will about her and Ray. She’d thought about it on the plane and decided Jai was right—Will had to know. It wasn’t right keeping this kind of secret from him. Despite what she feared, he was completely okay with it. Not only that, he already knew! All that worrying she did, and he knew already! Then afterwards, Jai had to add his two cents. Some of the particles in Ray’s blood had to be activated to track Ollerman; there was a chance Ray could die. Jai felt that Susan owed it to herself to tell Ray how she felt. Of course, she scoffed at first—this was Ray! He was a goof! She didn’t *like* guys like that! However, she followed Jai's advice and to appease Ray, she admitted that she liked him and would be very upset if he died.

Then it all came crashing down. Though Jai warned that activating the particles would cause excruciating pain, or even death, Susan was not prepared to see Ray drop down, screaming in agony. Suddenly, the thought of never seeing him again, never hearing his voice, never seeing his smile, it devastated her. So, she willed him, she begged him!, to stay because the thought of never seeing him again crushed her. 

That’s how she got here—in a waiting room in Prague scared to death. She can hear Will talking to her—telling her it’ll be okay, Ray’s tough; he survived getting shot, he’ll survive this. But she’s not really paying attention. All she can see is that image of Ray writing in agony, him passed out on the floor. She imagines him in that operating room, doctors working furiously trying to stop any hemorrhaging in the brain. She likes him so much and prays that he’ll live. He has to; it can't just end like this.

Thankfully, he does survive. Relief washes over Susan as the doctor tells the team that while there is some minimal brain damage, Ray is slated to make a full recovery. “Can we see him?” she asks. She needs to see him. She needs to see with her own two eyes that he’ll be okay. The doctor states that while Ray is in an induced coma now to help with the healing process, they’ll be allowed to see him when he’s ready to come to. 

She can’t believe how much she likes him. He’s so different from anyone she’s been with. Finally, he wakes up. She has never been so happy to see someone wake up. When they're alone, she asks him what he remembers. To her surprise, he remembers her saying she liked him. How does he remember that after coming out of an induced coma? She teasingly tries to dial it back as she leans in to kiss him . But he won't let her dial it back--she said it; she has to live with it even if he haunts her. God, she can’t believe how much she likes him.


End file.
